Be aware, be safe Inside this edition:
Oct. 23 events promote
prevention of assault, violence
see page 5
Exhibit delves into human design, page 3
Lecture examines women and war, page 6
Voter volunteer wants voice for all, page 8
A bit of Fellowship, page 7
Oct. 22, 2007 • Vol. 16/No. 9
a publication for the Middle Tennessee State University community
Autumn brings major conferences to campus
Scholars, veterans,
survivors to explore
Holocaust Nov. 8-10
by Lisa L. Rollins
D
istinguished scholars will
join Nazi concentrationcamp survivors and some of
the American military veterans who
liberated them as they explore the
effects of the Holocaust Nov. 8-10
during the eighth biennial Holocaust
Studies Conference at MTSU in the
James Union Building.
“Questions of Memory and
Conscience” is the theme of the
three-day event, which will include
“Countering Holocaust Denial in the
Middle East: A New Approach,” a
Nov. 8 presentation by Dr. Robert
Satloff, among its highlights.
Dr. Nancy E. Rupprecht, chairwoman of the MTSU Holocaust
Studies Committee, said Dr. Gerhard
L. Weinberg, an
internationally recognized German
scholar and expert
on World War II,
will be among the
academics participating in the conference. He’ll present the keynote
address, “The
Weinberg
Nuremberg Trials
and the Holocaust,” at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 8, in addition to participating in two other featured conference presentations.
A professor emeritus of history
at the University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill, Weinberg is the scholar
who discovered the secret, unpublished sequel to Hitler’s Mein Kampf
among the reams of German documents captured by the Allies during
World War II.
Weinberg is the subject of the
History Channel’s acclaimed 2004
documentary, “Hitler’s Lost Plan.”
This documentary will be shown at
2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, as part of
a preconference Holocaust exhibit at
Linebaugh Library in Murfreesboro.
Cultural diversity again ‘bridging gaps’
by Danielle Harrell
T
he Third Biennial International
Conference on Cultural
Diversity, with a focus on
“Bridging the Gaps,” will be held on
the MTSU campus on Wednesday,
Oct. 31, and the Millennium Maxwell
House Hotel in Nashville Thursday
and Friday, Nov. 1-2.
“These sessions are a great way
for students to increase their knowl-
edge of diversity, and it will assist
them in the workplace,” said Dr.
Sharon Shaw-McEwen, chairwoman
for the International Conference on
Cultural Diversity.
Shaw-McEwen said she believes
it’s especially important for students
who are majoring in fields that
require them to work with others to
attend the conference to develop
their cultural competency skills.
Many of the sessions will be interactive and will include debates.
See ‘Diversity’ page 5
Blue notes
SCALING THE SCHERMERHORN—Members of MTSU’s Band of Blue march to the front steps of Nashville’s Schermerhorn
Symphony Center Oct. 6 to celebrate the second “Day of Music” with the Nashville Symphony. Six MTSU faculty and student
ensembles and two ensembles led by MTSU faculty members represented the university before thousands of music lovers.
photo submitted
Show you’re Blue! Give back to the community
B
risk autumn weather has the
MTSU family showing its colors and feeling Blue, too, as
the university’s 2007 Employee
Charitable Giving Campaign kicks
off Monday, Oct. 29.
“We often say ‘Be Loud, Be
Proud, Be Blue’ as a way of showing
pride at being part of this community. We tell high school students that
graduating from high school can
See ‘Blue’ page 5
See ‘Holocaust’ page 5
IN BRIEF
www.mtsunews.com
FEND OFF FLU NOV. 6-8
The School of Nursing will
again be working with Health
Services to offer flu shots to students, faculty and staff Tuesday
through Thursday, Nov. 6-8, begin-
ning at 8 a.m. and continuing until
4 p.m. in Room 109 of the CasonKennedy Nursing Building. Cost
will be $23 (check or cash only).
Make appointments by e-mailing
lawrence@mtsu.edu (no phone calls,
please). Walk-ins will be worked in
around scheduled appointments.
MAKE OFFICES BLUE-TIFUL
The Homecoming 2007 Office
Decoration Competition is under
way! Entry forms are due by 4:30
p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, for the competition leading up to the festivities on
Saturday, Nov. 3. E-mail sgahome@
mtsu.edu for more information.
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
MURFREESBORO TN
PERMIT NO. 169
Campus Rec Center to become emergency shelter
from Staff Reports
M
TSU’s Campus Recreation Center will officially become a new Red
Cross emergency shelter as several months of planning culminate in
a formal agreement between the two entities to be signed at a public
ceremony Monday, Oct. 22, at 2:30 p.m.
The event will be held in the upstairs dance studio in the
Recreation Center, and everyone is invited. Because of the
adjacent construction of the new Student Health,
Wellness and Recreation Center, attendees should
arrive early.
The driving force behind this effort at MTSU is
Ray Wiley, associate director for student recreation,
who said he became particularly interested in Red
Cross Disaster Services following Hurricane Katrina
and signed up as a disaster volunteer.
“I personally felt very helpless during this disaster,” Wiley
said. “I wanted to help, and although I’m a 20-year volunteer with the
American Red Cross, I did not have the required training I needed in disaster
services to be eligible to help with the shelters.”
Wiley said that following Katrina, the MTSU recreation facility was considered as a potential shelter site for those who were left homeless, but at the
time, “we were under-prepared to take on the enormous responsibility.
“I felt I could do more,” Wiley continued. “That was the reason I became a
disaster volunteer and a disaster instructor for the Red Cross Heart of
Tennessee Chapter. Although I am very excited that we now have this agree-
ment in place, we need many more volunteers who are willing to be trained.”
“This is a wonderful partnership, the very best example of a university
and community coming together and combining its resources to help those
who are displaced during a catastrophe,” added MTSU President Sidney A.
McPhee. “I encourage students, faculty and staff, as well as local citizens, to
give their time and energy to this humanitarian effort.”
Greg King, CEO of the Heart of Tennessee Chapter and a 1986 MTSU
alumnus, echoed the need for volunteers.
“Past disasters such as Katrina taught us as a nation
that a mass relocation of victims is a reality, and areas
away from the devastation must be prepared to assist
with the evacuees. We applaud MTSU for its willingness
to help our community prepare for significant local and
regional disasters.”
MTSU and Red Cross officials spent nearly a year
exchanging information and filling out the required documents to assure that the MTSU facility could meet the requirements. Designated basketball courts in the Recreation Center will be
converted to shelters and will accommodate approximately 160 cots. Space will
be allocated for storage, first-aid stations, restroom and shower facilities, eating
and leisure areas and offices.
Since MTSU’s Department of Safety and Security will be responsible for
handling security during a shelter operation, Chief Buddy Peaster requested
that all of his officers go through the Red Cross training.
The site of the Oct. 22 signing will be set up with cots and other equipment
to simulate an actual shelter layout.
Recognizing excellence
GREAT WORK!—Pat Fones, center, secretary for MT Athletics, accepts the latest
quarterly Secretarial/Clerical Award
from Ben Jones, right, Business Office
manager and chairman of MTSU’s
Employee Recognition Committee, as
Associate Athletic Director Diane
Turnham looks on. MTSU’s Employee
Recognition Committee salutes staffers
who make outstanding contributions
and demonstrate excellence in their
roles. To nominate an administrative,
secretarial/clerical, classified or technical/service co-worker for the quarterly
award program, download an employee
recognition nomination form at
hrs.web.mtsu.edu/forms/forms.html and
submit it to Human Resource Services
via campus mail, Box 35.
photo by Andy Heidt
Forum airs concerns, offers answers about safety
by Jake Jackson
M
TSU’s Student Government
Association hosted a campus safety forum Oct. 10,
where a panel of officials and a student audience discussed recent criminal activity around campus and how
technology is being used to alert the
campus community.
SGA president Chassen Haynes
moderated the afternoon forum,
which drew questions from several
students concerned about recent incidents and the new emergency textmessage alert system.
“Our job is to plan and prepare to
respond to incidents,” said Buddy
Peaster, MTSU director of public safety. “We try to identify threats and
neutralize them, but we can’t do this
properly if students aren’t involved.”
The forum’s panel consisted of
Peaster and Sarah E. Sudak, executive
page 2 The Record Oct. 22, 2007
director of housing and residential
life; Lucinda Lea, vice president for
information technology and chief
information officer; Dr. Robert Glenn,
vice president for student affairs; Dr.
Kaylene Gebert, executive vice president and provost; and Tom Tozer,
director of news and public affairs.
Panelists Lea and Tozer noted
that MTSU had been looking into the
text-message system initially as an
alert system for campus clubs and
student groups, and the idea evolved
into an emergency alert system.
MTSU recently signed a contract with
Rave Wireless, and the system went
live for the campus on Sept. 12.
“Unless there is an imminent
threat of danger, other messaging will
be used,” said Peaster. A text-message
alert was not issued after a recent
attempted abduction at an off-main
campus parking lot, the chief
explained, because police determined
that the suspect had left the area and
the threat to the campus community
had decreased.
“Text messaging is only one way
we can communicate with students,”
said Lea, adding that e-mail will continue to be the primary source of getting emergency and alert information
to students.
Tozer explained further by telling
the audience that text messaging
alone will not protect them from
harm; in addition, he said, students
must be vigilant and watchful in the
MTSU community. Tozer is one of the
officials who can send a text-message
alert after consulting with others,
including MTSU police and the executive staff.
“This is still open for discussion,” said Tozer. “Text messaging is
still new. The type of message and
how it will be sent will be determined
on a case-by-case basis.” He asked
that students contact his office, student affairs or MTSU police with their
suggestions on how and when to
send text-message alerts.
The panel’s chief concerns included the idea that students may think
that someone else is responsible for
their safety. Safety suggestions included trusting one’s instincts, walking in
pairs and using the Raider Escort program at any time of day and night.
They also advised never to leave wallets, purses, laptops, books or other
personal items unattended.
Panel members said they would
hold another forum for more student
input. They advised students to sign
up online for text-message alerts,
come forward whenever there is an
incident and to keep in mind that
together we can all be responsible for
safety.
Ceramics exhibit delves into
mysteries of human design
by Lisa L. Rollins
T
he Todd Gallery at MTSU will present “Of the Body,” an exhibition of
contemporary figurative ceramic works from five artists of national
recognition, through Friday, Nov. 2.
“The works to be seen in ‘Of the Body’ represent five unique perspectives that derive from the artists’ personal experiences and interpretations of
the human presence in the contemporary world,” Lon Nuell, MTSU art professor and gallery curator, said. “Within these interpretations five manifestations occur.”
The artists whose work will be showcased are Tom Bartel, an associate
professor of ceramics at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green; Jason
Briggs, an adjunct instructor at Belmont University, Nashville; John
Donovan, foundations instructor at MTSU; Debbie Kupinsky, a part-time
ceramics instructor at Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, Calif.; and Malcolm
Mobutu-Smith, an associate professor of ceramic art at Indiana University,
Bloomington.
Nuell said Bartel produces stylized figures that “question various
stages of life, which are determined primarily by the biological development of the body from birth to death.” Artist Briggs “pushes palpable sensibilities toward a critical awareness of unease by creating biomorphic forms
that are at once sensually tactile and disquietingly beautiful.”
According to materials describing the artists’ creations, Donovan’s artworks “infuse his figurative-based work with a push/pull sense of play
between the innocence of childhood and the ‘relentless fear’ of growing up,”
while Kupinsky’s pieces focus on allegorical references of the body filtered
through mythologies and fairytales manifesting work that juxtaposes “the
beauty and innocence in the world with the inevitable loss of innocence.”
“Her works recall benign porcelain figurines pushed to grotesque ends,”
Nuell remarked.
The Mobutu-Smith works, in turn, are described as “powerful vessel
Take off for Study Abroad Fair
from Staff Reports
V
isit faraway lands, experience their cultures and learn
more about studying
abroad—all without leaving campus!
Join the MT Abroad office for
the 2007 Study Abroad Fair, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 1, on the
second floor of Keathley University
Center outside The Grill.
There will be foreign foods to
sample, international music to savor
and numerous representatives of
the various venues of the studyabroad experience.
A few of those representatives
include the MTSU Study Abroad
program, General Education program in France, MTSU Exchanges,
the Cooperative Center for Study
Abroad, the Kentucky Institute for
International Studies, the American
Institute for Foreign Study, and STA
Travel, which handles student travel
plans such as flights, hotels, and
transportation.
For more information, visit
www.mtsu.edu/~mtabroad/ or call 615898-5179. The MT Abroad office is
temporarily located in Room 129 of
the Todd Building.
forms that fuse the residues of being human” such as graffiti,
comic-book art and music.
“Mobutu-Smith synthesizes these and other sources to produce works
that speak toward his own creative experiences and heritage,” Nuell noted.
Admission is free and open to the public. Gallery hours for the exhibit,
located on the first floor of the Todd Building, are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. For more information on the current exhibit, please contact Eric
Snyder, gallery assistant, at 615-898-5653.
Program alumni, volunteers help
Keeping EYH tradition alive
by Randy Weiler
M
TSU seniors Sharese
Richardson and Mallory
Faulkner and freshmen
Ashley Martin and Jennifer Ilsley
volunteer their time for Expanding
Your Horizons in Math and Science
because they know middle- and
high-school girls can make their
mark and have careers in these
fields.
“It lets girls know they are capable of doing things in math and science,” said Richardson, an interdisciplinary studies major who plans to
teach after graduating in May 2008.
Faulkner, a chemistry major from
Jackson, Tenn., said helping with
EYH “gives me the opportunity to
share my science background with
younger students.”
The 11th annual EYH will be
held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday,
Oct. 27, across the MTSU campus.
About 300 middle-school and 50
high-school girls will participate,
said event director, Dr. Judith IriarteGross, chemistry professor.
Martin and Ilsley were EYH participants as middle-school students.
They enjoy keeping the math and science doors open for the next generation of young women.
“There’s so much I learned and
gained from my (EYH) experiences,”
Martin, who is a graduate of
Blackman High School, said. “I
gained so much education-wise, but
also (gained) the confidence to do
whatever I put my mind to. I attended workshops that ranged from aerospace to Web design to chemistry
and nutrition.
“I want to be an example to these
young girls, like the presenters and
group leaders were to me. I want to
pass on the wisdom that these girls
can do anything. When I heard this
comment from my group leader in
my seventh-grade experience, I took
it to heart and excelled in math, history and science in high school.”
Ilsley, a 2007 Oakland High graduate, became a volunteer for the
organization while in middle school.
Her father is Dr. William “Bill” Ilsley,
a chemistry professor at MTSU.
Iriarte-Gross, who is being assisted by Dr. Rebecca Zijlstra, a math
professor, said another outstanding
group of MTSU faculty and off-campus professionals will be leading the
workshops.
Co-sponsors of the event include
MTSU, the College of Basic and
Applied Sciences, Murfreesboro
branch of the American Association
of University Women and Girl Scout
Council of Cumberland Valley.
The Record Oct. 22, 2007 page 3
Campus Calendar
Oct. 22-Nov. 4
TV Schedule
“Middle Tennessee Record”
Cable Channel 9:
Monday-Sunday, 5 p.m.
NewsChannel 5+:
Sundays, 1:30 p.m.
Visit www.mtsunews.com for
other cable outlet airtimes.
Every Wednesday
Gender Circles
Weekly conversations on diversity, emphasizing gender issues
1-3 p.m., JUB 206
For information, contact:
615-898-2193.
Oct. 22
Monday, Oct. 22
MTSU Jazz Combos
7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Oct. 24
Wednesday, Oct. 24
World Percussion Ensemble
7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Oct. 25
Thursday, Oct. 25
Free Legal Clinic
sponsored by the June
Anderson Women’s Center
with support from the
Rutherford-Cannon County Bar
Association
7-9 p.m., JUB 206
Open to all MTSU personnel;
appointments required
For information, contact:
615-898-2193.
Oct. 26
Friday, Oct. 26
Project Help’s Annual
Family Fall Festival
10 a.m., 206 N. Baird Lane
For information, contact:
615-898-2458.
page 4 The Record Oct. 22, 2007
Friday, Oct. 26
MT Soccer Senior/
Parents Weekend:
Women’s Soccer vs. Denver
7 p.m., Blue Raider Field
For information, visit
www.goblueraiders.com
or contact: 615-898-2450.
MT Volleyball
vs. Florida Atlantic
7 p.m., Alumni Memorial Gym
For information, visit
www.goblueraiders.com
or contact: 615-904-8115.
Oct. 29
Monday, Oct. 29
Our Friends: Our Selves
Bookclub
featured book: Golden Mountain
by Irene Kai
3:30-4:30 p.m., JUB 206
For information, contact:
615-898-2193.
Faculty Clarinet Recital:
Todd Waldecker
8 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Friday, Nov. 2
First Friday Star Party
Dr. Eric Klumpe, “Gallactic
Collisions”
6:30-8:30 p.m., WPS Room 102
For information, contact:
615-898-2483.
MT Volleyball
vs. South Alabama
7 p.m., Alumni Memorial Gym
For information, visit
www.goblueraiders.com
or contact: 615-904-8115.
Nov. 3
Oct. 27
Oct. 30
Saturday, Oct. 27
Contest of Champions
10 a.m., Jones Field;
finalists compete at 7:15 p.m.
For ticket information,
contact: 615-898-2103.
Blue Raider Football
@ North Texas
6 p.m., Denton, Texas
For information, visit
www.goblueraiders.com
or contact: 615-898-2103.
MT Volleyball
vs. Florida International
7 p.m., Alumni Memorial Gym
For information, visit
www.goblueraiders.com
or contact: 615-904-8115.
Oct. 28
Sunday, Oct. 28
“MTSU On the Record—
Judge Fogg”
Guest: Randy O’Brien
7 a.m., WMOT 89.5-FM
Podcast available at
www.mtsunews.com
or via iTunes subscription.
MT Soccer Senior/Parents
Weekend: Women’s Soccer
vs. North Texas
1 p.m., Blue Raider Field
For information, contact:
615-898-2450.
MTSU Concert Chorale/
Middle Tennessee Choral
Society
3 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
Admission: $10 general, $9 seniors and non-MTSU students;
MTSU students and staff
admitted free
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Tuesday, Oct. 30
Faculty Jazz Trumpet Recital:
Jamey Simmons
7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Oct. 31
Oct. 31-Nov. 2
Third International Conference
on Cultural Diversity:
“Bridging the Gaps”
Oct. 31: MTSU campus;
Nov. 1-2, Millennium Maxwell
House Hotel, Nashville
For information, visit
www.mtsu.edu/~cdinit
or contact: 615-898-5975.
Wednesday, Oct. 31
Student Composition Recital:
Studio of Paul Osterfield
8 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Nov. 1
Thursday, Nov. 1
Faculty Recital: Deanna Little,
flute, and Jerry Reed, piano
8 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Nov. 2
Nov. 2-3
MTSU Theatre and Dance:
“Romeo & Juliet”
by William Shakespeare
7:30 p.m., Tucker Theatre
For information, contact:
615-898-2640.
Saturday, Nov. 3
MTSU Brass Performance
Clinic
8 a.m., Wright Music Building;
7:30 p.m., Brass Band of
Huntsville, Hinton Music Hall
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Blue Raider Football
@ Louisiana-Monroe
6 p.m., Monroe, La.
For information, visit
www.goblueraiders.com
or contact: 615-898-2103.
MT Volleyball vs. Troy
7 p.m., Alumni Memorial Gym
For information, visit
www.goblueraiders.com
or contact: 615-904-8115.
Nov. 4
Sunday, Nov. 4
“MTSU On the Record—
Women Mystics”
Guest: Rabbi Rami Shapiro
7 a.m., WMOT 89.5-FM
Podcast available at
www.mtsunews.com
or via iTunes subscription.
Delta Omicron Formal
Musicale
7 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, contact:
615-898-2493.
Tell us about it!
Calendar Items Welcomed
Submit your campus event calendar items (at least three
weeks in advance of the event,
please) to gfann@mtsu.edu.
Thanks!
Oct. 23 events promote awareness,
prevention of violence, sex assaults
by Gina K. Logue
T
he June Anderson Women’s Center will sponsor the “Clothesline
Project” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and “Reclaim the Night” from 6 to 9 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 23, on the Keathley University Center knoll.
The events are efforts by the JAWC to promote greater understanding of an
ever-present social issue during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
During the “Clothesline Project,” T-shirts decorated with messages symbolizing fear, anger or
other emotions associated with domestic violence
or sexual assault will hang from a clothesline on
the knoll.
“Reclaim the Night” is a fall semester version
of the Center’s annual “Take Back the Night”
spring event. Members of the campus and community will hold a rally with an open-microphone
segment during which anyone who wishes to
express thoughts on the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault is welcome to speak. The rally will be followed by a brief march on campus and a
candlelight vigil.
Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact
the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.
Holocaust
The showing is free and open to the
general public.
Rupprecht, an MTSU history
professor, said the Saturday, Nov.
10, conference panel discussion,
”Survivors and Liberators,” will get
under way at 4:15 p.m. with a military color guard, then honor
Holocaust survivors and the Allied
troops who freed them.
“For this event, U. S. Army veterans and Holocaust survivors will
tell the audience about a variety of
extraordinary experiences,” she
explained, “including what it was
like to liberate a death camp, what
it was like to attempt to survive in
concentration, work and extermination camps, what it was like to be a
hidden child or an émigré during
the Holocaust and how terrifying it
was to attempt to live ‘underground’ by passing as Aryan.”
New to this year’s conference
will be an entire day, Nov. 12,
aimed at K-12 teachers, Rupprecht
said. In addition to the Survivors/
Liberators session, the day’s activities will include a 2:30 p.m. performance by nationally known
pianist Claudia Stevens, who will
from page 1
read the words of Fanya Fenelon,
director of the Auschwitz Women’s
Orchestra, and play the music of the
orchestra Fenelon directed. Both the
performance by Stevens and the
Survivors/ Liberators session will
be free and open to the public.
In addition to the public session described above, the academic
sessions include scholarship in a
rich variety of forms—papers, discussions and exhibits, as well as
film, music and a live dance performance.
For more information on the
2007 Holocaust conference, including a detailed schedule that lists
events open to the public, please
visit its Web site at www.mtsu.edu/
~holostu. Those interested in attending the academic sessions also can
find registration forms and information on the site.
For additional information,
please contact Connie Huddleston,
associate conference chairwoman, at
615-494-7628 or chudd@mtsu.edu.
LET THE SUN SHINE IN—T-shirts from a previous year’s “Clothesline Project” display on the KUC knoll feature designs and slogans to help “air the dirty laundry” of
domestic violence and sexual assault. This year’s event is set for Oct. 23.
file photo by J. Intintoli
Diversity
All students are encouraged to attend at least one session. A discounted
full-conference fee is available for students, but they can attend the Oct. 31
MTSU sessions free if professors register their classes for the event. MTSU-recognized campus organizations also can apply to the Office of Student
Programming to help with the student fees.
This year’s conference is the first that will focus on economic factors like
financial management and home ownership.
Wednesday morning at MTSU, Dr. Shakti Butler will present her movie,
“Bridging the Gaps [through] Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible,”
followed by an open discussion. “I think every student on campus should try
to see it,” Shaw-McEwen stated.
Professor Charles Ogletree, who teaches at Harvard Law School, will speak
at the 1 p.m. Wednesday session. Shaw-McEwen said his address would give
students a chance to attend a Harvard classroom at this conference while
remaining on MTSU’s campus.
In addition to Butler and Ogletree, the conference will include a 7 p.m.
address by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who was named by Ebony as one of the 100
most influential black Americans. Dyson is also a professor at Georgetown
University and is known as “The Hip-Hop Intellectual.”
Wednesday night also will include a jazz concert, which Shaw-McEwen
said would be a wonderful opportunity for recording industry majors and “a
real treat.”
Other speakers scheduled to participate in this year’s conference include
Drs. Kenneth Hardy, College of Human Services and Health Professions at
Syracuse University; Margarita Benitez, former president at the University of
Puerto Rico; and Valarie Montgomery-Rice, senior vice president for health
affairs and dean of the School of Medicine at Meharry Medical College.
Shaw-McEwen said that the conference was started as “a way to help faculty and students become more culturally competent in a way that was easier for
them. I hope that we will all be better than we were before the conference.”
A complete list of sessions, including times and locations, can be viewed at
www.mtsu.edu/~cdinit. For more information, call 615-898-5975.
Blue
make you Blue, and when they arrive on our
campus we tell them we want them to ‘Bleed
Blue,’” said 2007 campaign chair Dr. Bob Glenn,
vice president for student affairs. “All of these
sayings touch on our belief that we are a special
community and that you become special yourself
as a part of this community.
“Being a part of this institution means being a
part of a larger community,” he continued, “and
this campaign gives us an opportunity to support
the community that supports us. So I would ask
each member of this special community to consider what you can do and then ‘Give ‘Til You Feel
Blue!’”
Pledge forms and the campaign brochure
once again will be available online at the campaign Web site, www.mtsu.edu/givemtsu. Paper
copies of each also are available from departmental coordinators if needed.
All pledge forms must be returned to campaign headquarters via departmental coordinators or direct campus mail by Wednesday, Nov.
from page 1
from page 1
14. Employees who return their forms by the
deadline will be eligible for a campuswide drawing on Friday, Nov. 16, for dozens of prizes. (A
full listing of prizes will be available at
www.mtsu.edu/givemtsu.) Donations are not
required to enter or win any of the prize drawings.
The 2006 campaign saw MTSU continue its
record-breaking tradition of helping the community with more than $78,550 in contributions. That
surpassed the 2005 tally of $76,300-plus in contributions.
Faculty and staff can give by payroll deduction to any charitable organization included on a
list of nine independent charities and three feder-
ated charitable organizations, Glenn said, including Community Health Charities, Community
Shares and local United Ways. The deductions
will begin with the first paycheck of 2008.
MTSU’s own Project Help, a nonprofit program that provides early intervention and family
support services to high-risk children, children
with disabilities and children with developmental
delays, receives a portion of its funding from
United Way grants via charitable giving efforts
like this one.
“If you really do ‘Feel Blue,’ you will understand the need and respond to it,” said Glenn.
“Each and every one of us can give something,
and when we band together to do so, our collective gift has a tremendous impact.”
The annual effort at MTSU is conducted in
unison with all Tennessee Board of Regents institutions.
For more information about the campaign,
contact Michelle Lloyd at 615-898-2828.
The Record Oct. 22, 2007 page 5
Campus changing shape
as construction continues
by Tom Tozer
I
t may seem as though construction projects never end on campus, what
with the security fencing, blocked roadways and orange barrels, but over
time, the light at the end of the tunnel on projects large and small gradually grows larger until a new day emerges on the MTSU campus.
Projects that have been completed on campus include the new sprinkler
systems and HVAC units in the Wiser-Patten Science Building and the James
Union Building. Peck Hall has a new HVAC system, and the new mix room is
up and running in the Bragg Mass Communication Building.
Judd, Gracy and Smith Halls have new roofs. The liberal arts dean’s office
in Peck Hall will be moving into Todd Hall, and the chilled water line has been
replaced near the Paul W. Martin Honors Building and Saunders Fine Arts.
Womack Lane Apartments ABC and JKL are complete, and students moved
in before the fall semester started. Work has begun on apartments DEF and
GHI, with renovation to be done by the first of 2008. Additionally, new kitchen
cabinets in those units will be finished by March.
The demolition of the old baseball field is 95 percent complete. Olympian
Construction is the contractor, and workers are laying out footings.
The fire alarm upgrade in Peck Hall, as well as in the Keathley University
Center, is almost complete. The new elevator in Peck Hall should be finished
by the first of next year, and its new unisex restroom also should be completed
this month.
Messer Construction has completed the demolition work in the Lyon Hall
renovation project, and interior work is under way.
Alumni Drive should be completed sometime this month. In Phase A of the
Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center, 75 percent of the structural
steel is complete, and masonry is 50 percent complete on the exterior, with
work to begin soon on the interior blocking. Workers are framing walls, and
electrical and plumbing work is in progress.
The roof soon should be completed on the observatory, and work is moving along on the bathrooms and mechanical room on the building. The dome
will be installed in early 2008, and the project should be ready to use in March.
The new science and education buildings and the new Student Union are
in the design phase.
To learn more about campus changes and growth, visit the Office of
Campus Planning’s Web site at www.mtsu.edu/campusplanning.
BUILDING STRONG BONES—Steel framing for the skylit new lobby of MTSU’s
Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center rises into the sky amid construction
debris. The $17 million expansion and renovation project is moving forward swiftly.
photo by News and Public Affairs
Lecture series examines 2007 ShareFair to showcase
women’s roles in wartime innovative technology uses
from Staff Reports
by Gina K. Logue
D
r. Divya Saksena, associate
professor of English at MTSU,
will present
“Women and War—
Active and Passive
Engage-ments,” the
latest lecture in the
Fall 2007 Women’s
Studies Research
Series, at 3 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 25, in
Room 100 of MTSU’s
James Union
Building. The lecture
is free and open to the
public.
“This presentation aims to introduce its audience to
the historical, literary and cultural
parameters within which women’s
participation in armed conflicts has
been marginalized and women themselves reduced to gendered ciphers
and statistics,” Saksena says.
Saksena will examine why and
how women were excluded from
combat, how World War I provided
new opportunities for women and
why the role of women was so critical
by World War II.
“Although women now operate
in an increasingly wide range of military ranks, including jet fighter pilots
in the (British) Royal Navy, RAF
(Royal Air Force) and U.S. Air Force
page 6 The Record Oct. 22, 2007
and transport pilots in the Indian Air
Force, they still struggle to overcome
gender biases, prejudices and stereotypes,” Saksena says.
However, the professor notes, the
majority of victims
in modern warfare
are women, according to reports by the
United Nations and
the International
Red Cross/Red
Crescent.
“Therefore, the
presentation will
conclude by considering women not
only as combatants,
but also refugees,
civil detainees and
military POWs,” Saksena says. “It will
create an understanding of the specific needs of women in armed conflicts.
It will also make its audience aware of
the need for policymakers and
activists to translate into practical
terms guidance documents for ensuring that humanitarian programs and
services adequately address the circumstances and contributions of
women in war and its aftermath.”
For more information on the
Women’s Studies Research Series,
contact Dr. Jane Marcellus at 615-8985282 or jmarcell@mtsu.edu, or contact
the Women’s Studies office at 615-8985910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.
W
hat are other faculty doing
in their classrooms to
incorporate innovative
teaching practices and integrate technology?
On Wednesday, Oct. 31, from
9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the 2007 ShareFair
will answer your questions, with the
help of MTSU’s 2007 Outstanding
Teachers, Information Technology
Division grant and fellowship recipients, and winners of the Outstanding
Use of Instructional Technology
Awards.
The 2007 ShareFair, which will
be conducted in the Learning,
Teaching and Innovative
Technologies Center in Peck Hall
106, is an opportunity for faculty to
learn about innovative teaching practices and technology integration.
In addition to the education
leaders already mentioned, this
year’s ShareFair also will feature
finalists for the Award for Innovative
Excellence in Teaching, Learning and
Technology. The Innovative
Excellence award winner will be
announced at 2 p.m.
The Information Technology
Division and the Learning, Teaching
and Innovative Technologies Center
are the sponsors of the ShareFair. No
reservation is required.
Golfers help raise $50,535
for Neill-Sandler Scholars
T
hrough the efforts of 96
golfers and other means,
$50,535 has been
raised in 2007 for
the Neill-Sandler
Scholars at MTSU
Program, said
Amanda Bell, an
official with the
Neill-Sander
Automotive Group
and Neill-Sandler
Foundation.
Twenty-four teams competed in
the 14th annual Danner Golf
Invitational Golf Tournament Oct. 3.
Funds raised through registration fees and hole
sponsorships provide scholarships
for up to 10 highschool seniors in
nine southern
Middle Tennessee
counties each spring.
American Mathematical Society meets here Nov. 3-4
from Staff Reports
F
or the first time, the
Department of Mathematical
Sciences at MTSU will host a
meeting of the American Mathematical Society.
Scheduled for Saturday and
Sunday, Nov. 3-4, the Fall Southeastern Meeting of the AMS will feature
keynote addresses from leading
mathematicians, along with 16 special
sessions that will allow participants
to present and learn about a host of
research topics.
All sessions and keynote address-
es will take place in the Business and
Aerospace and John Bragg Mass
Communication buildings.
To date, more than 300 mathematicians from more than 30 states
will be on campus that weekend,
sharing results and ideas on topics
ranging from financial mathematics
to algorithmic methods in algebra.
Research from 12 MTSU math
faculty members will be presented at
the meeting, and nine of the special
topic sessions have been organized or
co-organized by MTSU math faculty.
In all, 17 members of the math
department will be presenting, hosting special sessions or serving on the
organizing committee.
They include Drs. Michaele
Chappell, Curtis Church, Wandi
Ding, James Hart, Don Hong, Jason
Johnson, Abdul Khaliq, Jacob
Klerlein, Rong Luo, Yuri Melnikov,
Diane Miller, Don Nelson, Terrence
Quinn, Zachariah Sinkala, Chris
Stephens, Xiaoya Zha and Ping
Zhang.
The AMS is the largest professional organization for research mathematicians in the country.
To host a regional meeting, universities must have organizing committees apply to the AMS several
years in advance. The organizing
committee must propose or solicit
engaging topics for special sessions,
provide evidence that the sessions
will attract speakers and show that
the university has sufficient resources
and facilities to provide a pleasant
environment for the participants.
MTSU was one of several southeastern universities applying for the
November meeting. While location
played a role, MTSU was selected primarily because of the number and
diversity of the special topic sessions
proposed.
For specific information about the
meeting, please visit the AMS Web
site at www.ams.org.
A bit of Fellowship
INAUGURATING THE NEW CLASS—Nobel economics laureate and MTSU alumnus Dr. James M. Buchanan, third from right, joins the celebration of the inaugural class of
the Buchanan Fellows, the new University Honors College program for 20 incoming freshmen that includes four years’ paid tuition, special seminars and academic opportunities. The Buchanan Fellowship is the highest award given to entering freshmen at MTSU. Joining Dr. Buchanan in cutting the cakes are MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, center, and, from left, Buchanan Fellows Danielle Rutherford, Nellery Marty, Jordan Cox and Colby DeHart, Honors College Board of Visitors Chairman (and Dr. Buchanan’s
nephew) Jeff Whorley, Buchanan Fellow Elizabeth Henegar, Liz Bradley (Dr. Buchanan’s sister), and Buchanan Fellows Aaron Scherer, Michelle Ebel, Chelsea Curtis, Jessica
Taylor, Robert Smith, Jonathan Siler and Taffeta O’Neal. Not pictured are inaugural Buchanan Fellows Alex Blackwelder, Robert Bridgers, Meghan Davis, Aaron Larson, Rick
Skelley, Jordan Timmons and Andrew Trivette. For more on the Buchanan Fellowships, visit honors.web.mtsu.edu/buchanan_fellows.htm.
photo by Jack Ross
The Record Oct. 22, 2007 page 7
People Around Campus
Voter volunteer works
to ensure voice for all
by Gina E. Fann
A
mong the T-shirt vendors, CD kiosks and water stations, Jennifer Kirk
is armed with the one thing all concertgoers really need—voter registration information.
Kirk, who is assistant director of MTSU’s Student Unions and
Programming Office, just returned from The Echo Project, a three-day Atlanta
music and environmental festival, where she again joined other volunteers
with HeadCount, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization devoted to voter
registration and participation in democracy.
As a voter volunteer since 2004, Kirk has braved the traffic, crush and heat
of several music festivals and concerts, including Bonnaroo, and helped set a
record during the Dave Matthews Band’s 2004 tour, when HeadCount registered a record 12,000 new voters.
“That was pretty memorable,” Kirk says now with a grin. “We registered
about 250 people at one concert, and a big chunk of that tally was people who ADDRESS PLEASE?—Jennifer Kirk, right, helps to register another voter at the
HeadCount table during the recent Echo Project music festival in Atlanta.
registered to vote in Middle Tennessee.”
Voting has always been a priority for the 2003 mass communication grad.
photo courtesy Sam Katz
Her parents encouraged her to take part in the democratic process, so when
she moved from Oklahoma to attend MTSU, one of the first things she finaltinues. “You get set up and start talking with people, and then other people
ized was her absentee-voting paperwork. When she decided to stay in Middle
stop by and tell you that you helped them register previously and they’ve
Tennessee, Kirk says, it was a simple process to finalize the paperwork that
actually received their (voter registration) cards. That’s pretty rewarding.”
allowed her to vote in local elections in her new home.
She also ensures that voter registration information is always available at
“It baffles me that so many people think, and say, that their votes don’t
the Keathley University Center’s information desk, which is located just outmake a difference,” she says. “They certainly do. Even if it doesn’t change the
side her office. Students and visitors with questions quickly learn that registeroutcome, your vote is always necessary.”
ing to vote in Tennessee is quite simple.
That philosophy is what led Kirk to begin her volunteer efforts with
“You just have to register at least 30 days before an election,” Kirk
HeadCount, spending weekends and even taking vacation days from work to
explains. “If you live on campus and are from out of state, or even if you’re
ensure that others have the opportunity to cast their ballots and make their
from another county in Tennessee, you can request an absentee ballot. A lot of
views known. She became HeadCount’s Middle Tennessee team leader, organpeople need to update their address information and make sure it’s current,
izing 20 volunteers to cover concerts, events and gatherings across the region.
especially if you intend to vote in Rutherford County. It only takes a second.”
The organization’s goal for 2008 is to register 200,000 new voters across the
United States.
For more information about voting in Tennessee, visit tennessee.gov/sos/election/
“I got involved because I was sick of hearing myself gripe about things
outlines.htm. To ensure that you can vote in the upcoming presidential preference priand how I thought they ought to change,” Kirk says. “HeadCount is nonpartisan in its work. I don’t care what your party preference is; I just want people to mary on Feb. 8, you’ll need to be registered before Monday, Jan. 7. Information specific
to Rutherford County voting can be found at www.rutherfordcountytn.gov/election.
take an active part in being a citizen of this country.
“It’s interesting to be in the middle of things during these shows,” she con- And for more information about HeadCount’s work, visit www.headcount.org.
Faculty/Staff Update
Tom Tozer
Director, News and Public Affairs
Editor: Gina E. Fann
gfann@mtsu.edu
Contributors: Gina K. Logue, John Lynch,
Paula Morton, Lisa L. Rollins, Randy Weiler,
Doug Williams, Seth Alder, Danielle
Harrell, Claire Rogers, Bonnie Bailey,
Brittney Martin and Jake Jackson.
Photos: MTSU Photographic Services,
except where noted
Printed by Franklin Web Printing Co.
Phone: 615-898-2919
Fax: 615-898-5714
The Record is published every two weeks
by the Office of News and Public Affairs
at MTSU. It is distributed free to faculty,
staff, friends and media outlets.
Awards
Dr. Pippa Holloway (history) is
the winner of the 2007 Willie Lee
Rose Prize from the Southern
Association for Women Historians for
her first book, Sexuality, Politics and
Social Control in Virginia, 1920-1945.
The prize recognizes the best book
published by a woman in 2006 on
any topic in Southern history.
Dr. Vincent W. Smith (business
communication and entrepreneurship) received the 2007 Tennessee
Business Education Association PostSecondary Teacher of the Year Award
at its annual conference in Jackson,
Tenn., on Sept. 29.
Honors
Attention Postmaster:
Address changes and
other correspondence should
be addressed to:
The Record
Office of News and Public Affairs
CAB 209, MTSU
Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132
MTSU, a Tennessee Board of Regents
Institution, is an equal opportunity, nonracially identifiable, educational institution that does not discriminate against
individuals with disabilities.
UR031-1007
page 8 The Record Oct. 22, 2007
Dr. Don W. Morgan (health and
human performance) was chosen for
fellowship induction Sept. 29 into the
American Academy of Kinesiology
and Physical Education during the
AAKPE’s 77th Annual Meeting at the
DeSoto Hilton in Savannah, Ga.
Presentations
Dr. Stuart E. Bernstein and Janet
C. Camp (Center for Dyslexia) presented the workshop “Decoding—
Improvement Strategies” at the
Tennessee Department of Education’s
Reading First Conferences in
Knoxville and Memphis on July 10
and 24, respectively.
Dr. Steve Jones (psychology) presented “To Realize Your Investment
in Teams: Link Metrics, Problem
Solving and Incentives” at the 18th
Annual Conference for WorkTeams,
held Sept. 24-26 at the University of
North Texas in Denton, Texas.
Dr. Wendy Koenig (art) presented the paper “Feminism in the Flesh:
Teaching the ‘Body’ in 20th-Century
Art” at the Rocky Mountain Modern
Language Association meeting in
Calgary, Alberta, Oct. 4-6.
Dr. John Lee (economics and
finance) presented “How It All Works
Together” at the Financial Planning
Association of Middle Tennessee’s
Money Makeover Expo Oct. 6 in
Nashville.
Dr. Lynn Parsons (nursing) presented the following papers Sept. 1314 at the Michael E. DeBakey
Veterans Administration Medical
Center in Houston, Texas, with coauthor Patricia L. Reiss: “Four
Generations of Nurses: Practice
Environments in the 21st Century,”
“Health Work Environments:
Cultural Savvy and Sensitivity” and
“Transcultural Communication:
Developing Interaction Skills.”
Publications
Dr. Rich Barnet (recording industry) has co-authored a new book, This
Business of Concert Promotion and
Touring: A Practical Guide to Creating,
Selling, Organizing, and Staging
Concerts, with Ray D. Waddell and
Jake Berry. Published by Billboard
Books, it will serve as the textbook
for the RIM 4320 (Concert Promotion
and Touring) course.
Workshops
Professor Kenneth J. Sanney
(recording industry) is teaching a
workshop on copyright law for the
Nashville Songwriters Association
International in Nashville Oct. 25.
The event will also be webcast to
NSAI members worldwide.
See yourself in The Record!
E-mail your faculty/staff accomplishments to gfann@mtsu.edu. Please
note that publication of printed or
hand-written contributions may be
delayed.